The Birthday Present
by athenanoctea
Summary: Lee tries his hardest to do something special for Kara... but she can be so relentless and stubborn sometimes.


**Title:** The Birthday Present

**Date:** 12/06/2006

**Author:** carpenyx

**Rating:** PG

**Spoilers:** None.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own.

**The Birthday Present**

Kara covered her mouth as she yawned softly.

It was another ordinary day; at least that's what she wanted to believe when in fact that is what she thought until she realized it was her frakking birthday. Kara was never fond of birthdays - especially her own.

She stretched her arms out over her head before rolling onto her side. Carefully, she pulled back the curtain that opened her little safe sanctuary up to the rest of the world and peeked out into the sleeping quarters. It was uncharacteristically quiet.

She shoved the curtain out of the way and forced herself to sit up, swinging her legs out over the edge of the bunk.

No one was in sight.

"What the frak?" she muttered to herself.

Kara rose from the bed, stretching again as her eyes caught sight of something sitting on the table. She wrinkled her nose slightly as she lazily carried herself over to the table, granted it was only a mere couple of feet away but she wasn't much of a morning person either.

It was too quiet.

She felt uncomfortable without the sounds of other pilots mucking around in the early hours. It didn't feel the same waking up without having to yell at them to shut the frak up a dozen times.

She reached out, picking up the folded card that was sitting in the center of the table. She inspected it curiously, arching an eyebrow. Slowly, she opened the folded paper to read what was inscribed.

_Starbuck,_

_Meet me in the mess hall when you get up._

_Your favorite superior asshole,_

_Apollo_

Kara smirked slightly. "Frak you, Lee Adama," she muttered with a chuckle.

---

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Lee questioned his father as the hatch of the Commander's quarters closed behind him.

"Yes," Adama replied as he gestured for Lee to join him on the couch.

Lee hesitated momentarily before taking a seat near his father.

"Do you know what today is?" Adama asked as he poured two cups of tea and handed one to Lee.

"I think so, sir." Lee took the mug, sipping the hot tea carefully.

"I would like to do something special for our girl," Adama suggested. He looked over at Lee.

Lee nodded. "I actually have something in mind," he said.

"Oh?"

"Yes," he said as he face brightened. "But it would require your approval first," he explained.

"I see," Adama said. He looked at Lee questioning.

"Remember what you gave mom on her birthday, before you were married?"

Adama cracked a small smile; he remembered those days so long ago. He nodded, looking at Lee. "Yes," he said, knowing exactly what Lee wanted to do.

"I understand that you still have it?" Lee asked, looking at his father with a hopeful expression.

"I do," he said, a tinge of regret in his tone.

"Do you…" Lee paused for a moment. "Do you think I could give it to Kara?" He was unsure of what his father's response would be. It was something that was very precious to his father and to give it up, even to someone as dear to them both as Kara was, and was a lot to ask.

Lee watched his father and waited for his answer.

Adama leaned back and weighed his son's request carefully. "I think we can arrange that," he finally said with a warm smile as he looked at Lee.

With relief, Lee sighed a little as he brightened even more. "Thank you… dad."

---

Kara hummed to herself as she strolled through the corridors of Galactica. The strange looks she received from some of the crew didn't phase her and she shrugged them off as just more strange occurrences in her day. As Kara rounded a corner, she collided with Boomer.

Both women cursed, fumbling backwards on their feet from the impact.

"What the frak, Boomer?" Kara hissed.

"Sorry!" she said as she ran her hands over her flight suit, straightening out the material.

"You put a whole new meaning to 'Boomer', don't you? Watch where you're going," Kara joked.

"Frak you, Starbuck." Boomer grinned, sticking out her tongue a little.

"Watch it with that thing." Kara winked at Sharon.

Sharon rolled her eyes.

"What's the hurry?" Kara folded her arms, watching Boomer.

"Oh, I, uh… just need to check in with the Chief," Sharon said anxiously, her cheeks flushing a pale red.

Boomer was never a good liar, always stumbling with her words. Kara caught it and cocked an eyebrow, staring at Boomer. "Isn't the hanger deck in the _other_ direction?" Kara pointed out.

Anxiously, she shifted on her feet as she watched the other woman for a moment, dumbfounded. Sharon swallowed. "Yeah, um… I really should get going, see you later!" she said hastily and hurried past Starbuck, disappearing around the corner.

Kara blinked, confused. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head before continuing to the mess hall.

---

"What the frak is everyone _on_?" Kara spat out as she dropped her food tray on the table, next to Lee.

Lee looked up at Kara, raising a brow. "How do you mean?"

"It was a ghost town in our sleeping quarters this morning, no one in sight and on my way here, everyone's looking at me funny. Not to mention, Sharon is acting _really_ bizarre." Kara pulled her chair out, sitting opposite Lee. She took a fork full of the slop that passed for food.

"You were pretty dead to the world this morning, Starbuck. I tried waking you several times; you just cursed and rolled over." Lee shrugged, taking a bite of his food.

"Doesn't explain why Sharon was going to the hanger deck but in the _wrong_ direction." Kara continued to work on her food.

"Sharon isn't always the brightest of the bunch." Lee grinned. "Besides, she thinks no one knows about her and the Chief, what do you expect?"

"I guess you're right," she said.

"Paranoid today, aren't you?"

"Frak off," she hissed.

---

"Captain!" The Chief shouted as he rushed into the mess hall. "Everything is in order," he explained.

Lee gulped down another bite of his food, shaking his head as he looked up at the Chief.

"I got the space; we're going to be working on getting it set up for toni-"

Lee slammed his fist against the tabletop, staring at Galen. Kara cocked a brow as she turned, looking up at the Chief who was standing behind her – he hadn't noticed the viper pilot.

Tyrol swallowed, hard. "Uh. Hey, Starbuck."

"Chief," she said, a small grin on her face.

"So, right, Captain… I'll catch you later." Tyrol turned on his heel and headed out of the mess hall quickly.

Kara dropped her fork on her plate and looked at Lee. She crossed her arms, tilting her head. "What the frak is going on?"

"Nothing." Lee shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't tell me it's nothing, _Captain_."

"I asked the Chief to set up a few things for my meeting tonight, that's all."

"Right and what meeting would that be?" Kara questioned.

"CAP rotations, assignments, and the typical stuff."

"And why didn't I know about this meeting?"

Lee sunk a little in his chair. "I was going to get around to informing you," he explained. "But you came in here all in a huff."

Kara narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you."

"What do you mean?"

"You're lying," she said.

"I'm not lying."

"Yes you are."

"Am not," he said, annoyed.

"Are too," she said with a grin.

"Am not." He clenched his teeth.

"Are too," she insisted.

"No."

"Yes."

"Frak you, Kara."

Kara grinned impishly.

After a few moments of silence, Kara asked, very nonchalantly, "You going to tell me what you have planned?"

"No," Lee said flatly.

Both Starbuck and Apollo remained silent for the rest of the duration of their meal before parting ways for the day.

---

After his shift, Lee returned to the pilots' quarters where he carefully packaged the present for Kara's birthday. He tied a red ribbon around the small box with care. A warm smile crossed his features.

Once he was finished, he placed it on the shelf in his locker. It wasn't until he heard footsteps from behind that he hurried to shut the locker but he wasn't quick enough. Her hand already snaked past him swiftly, snatching up the wrapped gift.

"Kara!" Lee hissed as he spun around. He grasped his hand around her wrist.

Kara, surprised, attempted to jerk her hand away. She looked at him, cocking a brow. "You've been dodging my questions all day, Apollo." Again, she tried yanking her hand free but his grip was solid.

"And for good reason." He reached out for the box again. She was too quick.

Lee muttered under his breath about her being so difficult.

The sound of her laughter echoed through the quarters and if it were any other time – it'd make Lee a happy man seeing her having fun. He was determined to retrieve the box. "Come on, Kara," he pleaded as he went for it again.

Kara twisted her way out of his strong grip, darting to the opposite end of the room. "What's inside?" She looked at Lee and smirked, shaking the small container up against her ear.

"_Nothing_." Lee sighed, frustrated.

"Give it up, Lee."

Lee advanced on Kara again, trying to seize the gift back from the annoying viper pilot.

Kara whipped around, sidestepping him.

"Kara!" he spat out angrily.

"Who's it for?" she asked casually.

"My new frak buddy," he retorted sarcastically.

"It's about damn time you got one of those," she laughed. Kara inspected the box closely, turning it over in her hands.

"Can I have it back?"

"I don't know."

"_Please_?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Please _what_?" she mocked.

"Can I… _please_… have it back?"

Kara bit her lip, pondering the little dilemma Lee got himself into… _this_ time.

"Hmm, nope," she said finally.

"Give me the frakkin' box, Starbuck!"

"And what if I don't?" She waved it in the air playfully.

Without further ado, Lee lunged forward and slipped his arm around Kara's mid-section. He twisted her around, her back up against him firmly. The unsuspecting Starbuck hesitated – big mistake. Lee reached out, seizing the box from her hand and held onto her tightly.

"Frak," she cursed. Kara squirmed, trying to release herself from Lee's hold.

A grin played on Lee's face as he leaned closer, his lips brushing against her earlobe. "I guess we'll never know what could've happened if you didn't," he said smugly before nipping her ear playfully. He than released her.

Kara turned, looking at Lee. "Frak you," she spat out bitterly as she pushed past him and stalked over to her bunk.

_Stubborn_. It was so difficult to surprise her – she was incredibly relentless. Lee wanted to make today special for her and she was doing everything in her power to frak it up. He moved over to her bunk. "Kara…"

"Don't Lee," she said as she shoved the curtain closed.

Lee exhaled, frustrated. "Kara," he said as he pushed open the curtain and sat on the edge of her bed. "I had this whole thing planned out."

She rolled onto her side, her back to him.

"I wanted to do something special for you," he explained. "Tyrol and Boomer helped me plan this huge – and I mean _huge_- birthday bash for you."

Kara closed her eyes, feeling a pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach.

"And I was planning on giving you this tonight." He placed the small box next to her.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. It took her a few moments before she reached out and picked up the box. She turned it around in her hands, rolling onto her back and looked up at Lee. "For me?"

Lee smiled down at her. "Go on," he urged her.

Delicately, she pulled the red ribbon from the box, letting it land beside her. Kara lifted the lid off the box to reveal what was inside – another smaller box covered in black velvety fabric. "Is this a joke?" She was half-expecting another box to be inside this one.

Lee rolled his eyes. "Just open it," he told her, as his smile grew bigger.

She took the smaller box, letting her fingertips linger for a moment on the soft velvet. "What is it?" she asked quietly but received no answer. She pulled the box open and saw what was inside, her eyes widened a little. "Lee…"

"It's a promise ring," he explained. "My father once gave it to my mother as a promise to always be by her side, no matter what… a promise of better things to come."

Kara was speechless.

He reached out, removing the silver engraved band from the box. "I wanted you to know how much you mean to me," he said quietly. "I wanted you to know - no matter what, I'll always be here for you and I'll always have your back."

Kara's expression softened.

Lee smiled down at Kara, slipping his fingers around the chain that carried her dog tags. He slowly removed the chain from around her neck and unfastened the clasp. He slipped the ring onto the chain.

"I don't know what to say," she admitted as she took the chain, replacing it around her neck. She held the band in her fingers, looking it over.

"You don't have to say anything."

Kara sat up and looked at Lee. "I do," she murmured as she leaned forward, closer to him. She slipped her hand around the nape of his neck and pulled him in. Her lips brushed against his before she kissed him softly.

Surprised by her gesture, Lee froze momentarily before wrapping his arms around her, embracing her tightly. "I love you, Kara," he whispered softly.

"I love you too," she replied as she held onto him. "Thank you."


End file.
